On March 1, 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, making Yellowstone the first national park and ensuring its 3,500 square miles of land were protected for future generations.
The photos below show the awe-inspiring beauty of Yellowstone, courtesy of the National Park Service and its photographic community, ShareTheExperience.org. For more amazing images of our national parks, follow the U.S. Department of the Interior on Instagram.
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Natalia Ornia/Sharetheexperience.org
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin paints an incredible picture in vibrant blues, yellows and oranges.

Gerald Wilders/Sharetheexperience.org
A red fox leaping for its dinner at Yellowstone National Park.

Diane Renkin/National Park Service
A view of Lower Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point.
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Jon LeVasseur/ShareTheExperience.org
A pika at Yellowstone.

Jim Peaco/National Park Service
Old Faithful erupts at Yellowstone National Park.

Daniel Kleiman/Sharetheexperience.org
A different kind of traffic jam at Yellowstone National Park.
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Neal Herbert/National Park Service
Sunrise at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Manish Mamtani/Sharetheexperience.org

Diana LeVasseur/Sharetheexperience.org
A mother bison and calf at Yellowstone National Park.
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Kyle Rehn/Sharetheexperience.org
Morning Glory Pool at Yellowstone.

Kristin Castenchiod/Sharetheexperience.org

Neal Herbert/National Park service
Grotto Geyser at Yellowstone National Park.
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